


An Unexpected Meeting

by sugarandspace



Series: Jenna's Wingo fics [4]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Crush at First Sight, Healing, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Language of Flowers, M/M, Magnus Bane Is Quite Magical, Malec Discord Server WINGO, Meet-Cute, Nature Magic, Serious Injuries, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: Alec is part of the forest folk, Magnus is the idiot he needs to save (though Magnus will insist that Ragnor is the one to blame).
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood
Series: Jenna's Wingo fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716703
Comments: 14
Kudos: 97
Collections: Wingo Summer





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just realised that this doesn't fit any of my bingo squares :D oh well! More wing content and more forest content!

Magnus couldn’t wait to say _ I told you so  _ when he would finally be reunited with Ragnor. That was  _ if _ he would ever find his way back from the thick forest he was walking in.

His friend had been so confident that they would be fine in the magical forest, but not even ten minutes after they had arrived to search for the ingredient Ragnor had needed for his potion, they had been separated. While Magnus couldn't talk for Ragnor, he was most definitely lost himself.

It didn’t help that the forest was old and powerful, and Magnus couldn't access his magic there.

So no portaling out of there, no guiding spells, nothing. He had to do it the mundane way - pick a direction and walk, hoping that he was getting closer to the edge of the forest than the center of it. The forest was huge, and if Magnus picked the wrong direction he would be wandering for days until he came out on the other side.

He walked on a path and hoped for the best.

“It is not safe here,” came a voice behind Magnus.

Magnus turned immediately, trying to summon magic to his palms before he remembered that he was incapable of accessing it in the forest. About ten feet in front of him in the path stood a man who Magnus immediately recognised as one of the forest folk. The long iridescent wings in his back were impossible to miss. They looked beautiful, the sunlight shining through them making them shine with different colors. The wings looked fragile, but Magnus knew they were anything but. Those wings could cut like glass but held none of the same fragility.

“Are you going to hurt me?” Magnus asked carefully. He knew very little of the forest folk since they liked to stay hidden among the trees and there weren’t many books that talked about them. Magnus had met their kind twice before, and neither of them had spoken a word to him.

He felt like he was on uneven ground.

“I won’t,” the man said, looking Magnus with a look Magnus couldn’t quite place. It was like he was searching Magnus' soul with his hazel eyes. “But the others might.”

That made Magnus tense, the words bringing him back from admiring the man’s eyes. He needed to get a grip of himself, he was in a dangerous situation and it didn’t matter that the man in front of him looked breathtaking in his forest green clothing that was loose on his body, but that did nothing to distract from the obviously strong body under them.

“Follow me,” the man said and turned, starting to walk off the path.

Magnus didn’t know if it was foolish on his part, but he did as the man asked and started following him.

There was no path among the trees, the soft moss seemingly untouched. Yet the man in front of Magnus moved with familiarity, more sure of their direction in the middle of the trees than Magnus had been on the narrow path.

It was possible that the man was leading Magnus to his death, or at least to be captured by the forest folk. But something in him made Magnus trust him.

They passed fallen trees, ones standing tall, and ones that were just starting their journey towards the sky. Magnus tried to refrain from looking around himself too much in fear of losing the man and being lost once again, but he almost couldn’t help it when he saw all the green that grew undisturbed in the peace of the forest.

The man leading him looked over his shoulder every now and then to check that Magnus was still following him, and the soft smile that grazed his features made Magnus’ own lips turn to a careful smile. The man was beautiful and even though Magnus had learnt that looks were often deceiving, the man seemed kind. He had given Magnus no reason to doubt him, so Magnus kept following him.

After a while, they started to see more and more light come through the trees in front of them, and soon they were standing on the edge of a grassy field. The man did not cross the treeline when Magnus stepped out of the forest.

“At least tell me your name,” Magnus said as he turned to look at the man on the edge of the forest, blending in with his green clothes, the wings almost invisible when the light hit them right.

The man looked at him for a moment, his dark eyes calculating. Magnus knew the power in names and he started to regret asking it and was just about to tell him to forget about it when he spoke.

“Alexander.”

Beautiful name to fit a beautiful face, Magnus thought

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus said. “I am fairly certain you just saved my life.”

Alexander nodded, accepting the gratitude.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Magnus asked, in part because he had learnt that it was best not to stay in debt, and in part because he didn't want the beautiful man to disappear in the woods just yet.

Alexander shook his head.

“I don’t need anything.”

Magnus thought for a moment, knowing that he wanted to give the man something in return for his help. He wouldn’t have use for riches in the forest, and Magnus knew too little of the life of the forest folk to know what _would_ be useful for him.

So he went with what he did know, and summoned magic to his palm.

Being out of the woods, it worked perfectly, and blue fog clouded on his palm. He saw Alexander flinch but to Magnus’ relief, he didn’t run away. Magnus looked up and smiled lightly when he saw Alexander watching the magic with wonder in his eyes.

The forest folk were a secluded group of people, and the lack of information likely went both ways. Magnus realised that this was probably the first time Alexander had witnessed warlock-type of magic.

He knew that the forest folk had magic of their own, but the nature magic they had was more in kind of the seelie magic than warlock magic. They understood plants and animals in a way that went beyond Magnus’ understanding or expertise. Not even the strongest warlock could make a flower bloom as brightly as a young member of the forest folk could.  Magnus didn’t know how old the man in front of him was. He looked to be in his twenties but Magnus knew not to trust it since the forest folk were immortal, just like warlocks.

He knew his skill wasn’t parallel to Alexander’s but he hoped the sentiment was enough.  The fog on his palm went away and revealed a bellflower in its wake.

Magnus offered it towards Alec, and the other man reached forward to take it, holding the stem gently between his fingers. He looked at it for a moment before looking at Magnus, a question in his eyes.

“A small thank you for a big favor,” Magnus explained. He saw Alexander’s lips turn to another small smile and he hoped it meant that his gift was well received. He was just about to say something else when he heard someone yell his name.

Magnus turned to look at the field and saw the last bits of a portal disappear behind Ragnor. 

“I came here as soon as I was able to track you,” Ragnor explained. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” Magnus said and turned to look at Alexander again. Except when he looked at where the other man had been standing, he only saw trees and bushes. Alexander had fled back to the forest.

“Ragnor!” Magnus breathed out exasperatedly. When he looked at his friend again Ragnor looked affronted.

“Sorry for coming to your help?” He asked, not understanding Magnus' reaction. “What is going on?”

“Nothing,” Magnus said, turning his back to the forest. He knew Alexander wouldn’t appear there again.

He didn’t feel like telling his friend what had happened in the forest, preferring to keep it to himself. Weirdly, all the complaints about his friend dragging him to the forest had also died down.

Magnus couldn’t wait to be home so he could find his books and do some research.

-.-.-

“Where were you?”

He tried to ignore the accusing tone of his sister who had suddenly appeared in front of him from behind the large spruce tree. How she had managed to hide there with her wide wings, he didn’t know. Maybe he was more distracted than he had thought.

“It’s none of your business, Isabelle,” he replied while he kept walking to the direction he had been going on - deeper into the forest and further away from the handsome warlock.

“Fine,” Isabelle said as she walked by his side, her steps fast to keep up with his long strides. “Don’t tell me. But mother has been looking for you, we seem to have intruders in the forest. Warlocks, I heard.”

“Warlocks?” Alec asked, pretending to be surprised.

“Yes, so make sure you’re well-armed,” Isabelle said. In a blink of an eye, she was standing in front of him, stopping his movement, her eyes focused on the front pocket of his shirt. “What is that?”

“None of your concern, that’s what it is,” He said and walked past his sister, dodging her hand that tried to reach towards his pocket. He made sure to walk fast to get a small lead on Isabelle before he looked down.

The bellflower was still there and blooming as beautifully as it had when it first sprouted from the unfamiliar magic. Despite its unnatural origin, it spoke of gratitude in a language he knew as well as the ones he spoke.

He pressed at his chest where the stem was in the pocket, helping it grow little roots that weaved their way into the fabric of his shirt, making sure the flower wouldn’t fall.

He wasn’t quite ready to part with the flower like he'd had to part with its magical gardener.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec meet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some tags! Make sure you've read them!

Magnus felt the low pull of magic all the way into his apothecary, where he was putting finishing touches to one of his potions. The magic felt unfamiliar - but not necessarily dangerous or threatening - so he dropped the last ingredients in before stirring the brown goo twice clockwise and once counterclockwise, watching as it turned the correct shade of gold.

With that, he brushed his hands and left the potion to simmer, curious to see what was happening outside the apothecary. He reached out with his own magic, searching where the other magic was coming from, and his steps led him outside into the cool night air. He found himself on the balcony, near a vine-like plant that was climbing up against one of the walls. The plant had been there as long as Magnus had lived in the loft. He couldn't for the life of him name it, but he had liked the way its dark green leaves looked against the red brick.

What was unfamiliar about it, was the magic it seemed to emit. 

Magnus was certain it hadn’t done that before, and he wasn’t sure what could be causing it now. 

With a bit more poking with his magic, simple tests to see the plant’s reactions, Magnus confirmed that it wasn’t appearing to cause any harm. The plant intrigued him. This was unusual, but rather than making him concerned, Magnus was curious.

Dare he say it, his life had been relatively boring lately. Not that he missed fights and arguments and the like, but he had been itching for something to break the boring routine his life had seemed to fall into. 

He’d gotten a taste of it the other week, when he’d gotten lost in the magical forest and had met Alexander. His attempts to research the forest folk after that had been near useless, the information so scarce and unreliable not even Magnus’ impressive connections had given him much information that he hadn’t known before. He’d never admit it to anyone, but he had even visited the field where Alexander had led him the previous time, in hopes that he’d catch a glimpse of the beautiful man again.

He’d had no luck, and he was hesitant to walk into the forest again, knowing that someone else could find him that time. Someone less friendly and more in kind of the stereotype the few books painted of the forest folk. Secluded, powerful, and dangerous.

So this - a plant buzzing with unfamiliar magic - was a welcome distraction from the fact that Magnus seemed to have developed a crush on a man he’d likely never see again.

Knowing it was risky, but having assessed the plant and knowing that it wouldn’t most likely kill him instantly, Magnus decided to touch the plant.

As his finger touched the cool leaf, the vine came alive. It twined its way around Magnus’ finger, moving past his palm and around his wrist. When the vine reached Magnus’ bicep, and he was starting to fear that he’d been wrong and the vine was creeping towards his neck to kill him, Magnus tried to pull his arm free.

Only to realise that it was impossible. 

When using physical strength didn’t seem like it was going to work, Magnus summoned a flame to the palm of his other hand, ready to scorch the vine if it wasn’t going to retreat. The flame light up the dim evening around him, and he was just about to bring it to the plant when the plant yanked his arm and Magnus found himself stumbling. The next thing he registered was the familiar feeling of portal traveling, only this time instead of having his mind take him where he needed to go, he was being led by the feeling of the vine pulling him along.

It was over before Magnus had time to properly think about it, and Magnus stumbled as he arrived at his destination.

The vine was gone, and Magnus shook his arm to make the blood circulation return to normal. His other hand was still holding a flame, which illuminated some of the area around him. He knew he was roughly at the same time zone, since the day was just turning to night in here too, and the weak light of the flame helped him see that he was outside and there were trees a little bit in front of him.

Before Magnus had the chance to make the flame burn higher and illuminate more of his surroundings to try to have a guess at where he was, a weak noise caught his attention. He turned around immediately, looking at the ground where he’d heard the low moan.

Then everything made sense, except that Magnus was filled with an equal amount of new questions.

He was at the field where he’d last seen Alexander, and he’d been portalled here using the type of magic the forest folk had been rumored using. Said man was in front of him, lying in a crumpled heap on the grass, several feet away from the treeline.

Magnus rushed to him, seeing that the man was in obvious pain. He made the flame grow bigger before he let go of it, making it hover above them so he had both of his hands free to assess the injuries.

Alexander was curled on his side, his face bloody and bruised and his clothes crumpled and torn. Magnus’ eyes followed the path of disturbed grass to the edge of the forest, a clear sign that Alexander had been dragged out of there. Magnus tried to roll him to his back to get a better look but the man protested, gasping in pain. His wings twitched, and Magnus took a closer look at them. Magnus didn’t know much about wings, but he position of the right wing didn’t look right, and he didn’t need to know about wings to understand that the tear in Alexander’s left wing must have hurt like hell.

“Help me,” Alexander said weakly, and Magnus’ eyes snapped to his face. It was a horrifying sight to see, and the eyes that looked at Magnus were pleading. Magnus nodded.

It was like the promise of help gave Alexander some relief, and Magnus watched as his eyes closed and he gave in to the unconsciousness that had likely been lurking in the edges of his mind.

Magnus’ eyes fell on the familiar bellflower tucked on Alexander’s shirt pocket, as crumbled as its owner. Surprised but deciding not to think about the implications of that for now, Magnus rushed to create a portal that would take them both to his loft, where he'd be better equipped to heal Alexander.

-.-.-

The healing was a slow process and it took a lot of energy to heal the signs of beating from Alexander’s body. With no experience with healing wings, Magnus did the best he could. 

He had Alexander laying on his side on the bed in the guest bedroom, in a much similar way he’d found him, to avoid pressure on his broken ribs or his damaged wings. Alexander was a tall man, and the wings took up almost half of the bed, their length spanning from the headboard almost all the way to the foot of the bed. 

Magnus would have liked to continue healing the other man for a lot longer, but eventually he had to stop, knowing that Alexander wasn’t in immediate danger and that Magnus would pass out if he poured more of his energy to healing.

Alexander would still have some aches when he woke up, especially in his wings, but it wasn’t anything a good and long rest couldn’t heal. Magnus could help him more once he would be able to get some of his own energy back.

But there were still two things Magnus knew needed to be done before he could relax.

He reached to Alexander’s pocket, trying to pull the bellflower away with gentle movements. He quickly found out that he was unable to do so, finding strong resistance. When he looked into the pocket he saw that the flower had grown roots, likely with some help from Alexander.

Magnus used his magic to gently unwind the roots from the fabric of the torn and filthy shirt, and summoned a dirt-filled flower pot to the nightstand. With gentle hands he put the flower in the pot, using what little he knew of nature magic to help it look better.

It didn’t return to its previous glory, but it didn’t look like it was dying anymore. Magnus counted that as a win. Alexander could work his magic on it when he woke up, but Magnus was fairly sure he wouldn’t have been able to bring the flower back to life, had it died on Magnus’ watch.

He didn’t know the exact reasons why Alexander still had the flower weeks after he’d given it to him, but he knew that the flower held some importance. If Alexander had kept it all this time, it didn’t seem likely that he’d be willing to let it die now either. Magnus knew Alexander could have released the flower, could have found a sunny spot where he could plant it and where it would thrive and spread. But he had chosen to carry it with him, a simple bellflower with three blue bells in its thin stem. The only decoration in his otherwise simple attire.

Not that he needed anything decorative, Magnus thought when he turned his eyes from the flower to Alexander. He looked beautiful as he slept, a softness in him that was unusual for a powerful being that he was. The trust Alexander was putting on him almost made Magnus lose his breath, and he shook the thought away as he focused back on his task.

The next thing Magnus did was change Alexander’s clothes, replacing the old torn ones with something new. He didn’t know what kind of clothes Alexander would like, so he went with loose and light clothing that he’d seen him wear. He made sure the fabric was organic, not knowing how his guest would feel about polyester.

Was he thinking about this too deeply? Possibly. He just really wanted to do all he could to make the other man feel as comfortable as possible in his current situation.

Once Alexander was clean and in new clothes, Magnus shook his head at himself. Earlier tonight he had wished for something that would break the norm, and he’d spent the past few weeks thinking about the man in front of him, but he had never envisioned that they would meet like this.

With a sigh he turned and walked to the comfortable chair he had in the corner of the room, planning to sit down and gather his energy while he waited for Alexander to wake up. He didn’t plan on napping, but he was powerless to resist the pull of sleep once he settled into the armchair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be about them actually having a conversation again! I'm not sure when I'll have time to write it but I'll try not to make you wait for too long. 
> 
> I hope you're enjoying the story! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Bellflowers symbolize gratitude!!
> 
> I have an idea for a second part and I'm curious to hear if people would be interested? (but please note that I can make no promises about when I'll write it, since I have a lot of ideas and relatively little time to write them)
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://sugarandspace.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/sugarandspace_)!


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